So, strike offs for Pear Tree arrived from the mill yesterday. Of course I wanted to tear right into the box, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it without Wonderful Wife. Thus, instead of opening the box I settled for occasionally cuddling it. Bee looked at me a bit strangely, but considering she was snuggling a FQ bundle of Dazzle I don’t think she had any room to comment.

Eventually, Wonderfully Wife made it home and the box was opened. My response was honestly mixed. I was, and still am, so insanely excited to have strike offs, but they just don’t look right; the colors are not my colors. I was simultaneously ecstatic and deflated. I knew the colors would be off (I had been warned), but I had this picture in my head of opening the box and seeing it, clouds parting, heavenly chorus and all. The clouds did not part; there ways no angelic choir.

Luckily, tweeps came to the rescue, and the fabulous Kathy at Andover talked me down from despair. The strike offs really do look great as far as they are supposed to at this point; the mill did a great job with all the details. I am just unused to trusting people to do things. When I’ve worked with printers and/or fabricators in the past I’ve always been able to be there. Now I just have to have some degree of faith; I’m not very good at that. Ack!!!

I think I am going to be a nervous wreck until I finally get my hands on the finished cloth.

(Who am I kidding, I’ll already be a wreck about the next one. I may need help.)

I think I see what you mean. The colours look a bit less ‘intense’ and less sophisticated than you might have expected? (can’t find the right words in English but I hope you know what I mean) But I’m sure with the right adjustments the angelic choirs will eventually stop by your place to do their thing!

Thomas, they don’t quite have that same magic that the paper preview had at market. But, I’m certain that by the time the final fabric is printed, it will look amazing. I read on Tula Pink’s blog a ways back and she had made an analogous color quilt out of all of her strikeoffs that were in the wrong color. But, the fine tuning paid off, look where she is now :). It was so fun to meet you at Market and I can’t wait to be market buddies again in Houston. Best wishes to you and your wonderful wife and Bee.

P.S. Looking at the countdown to Houston is freaking me out. It’ll be here too fast.

Still loving the Azure! Don’t worry, they never get it right the first time, most important is the design layout. Color charts are your friend. (I’m bad at photoshop.) I’ll bet it still snuggles great!

Finally sent the strike-offs back with comments. They really are quite good, and once they get the final colors in they will be glorious for sure. Just totally have my heart on my sleeve with this one. Thanks for all the love…